Navigating the Vintage Market with Tyler Cassidy of Visitor Goods
Finding free Percival Lafer on the streets
Last week I was fortunate enough to have a chat with Tyler Cassidy, who runs one of my favourite vintage furniture stores in Vancouver: Visitor Goods.
I live pretty close by the shop, so I try to pop-by as often as possible. Tyler is super knowledgeable and we always have great conversations, so I’m happy to be able to bring this one to you guys.
What were you doing before Visitor Goods?
I spent 20 years working mostly in the snowboard and skateboard industry managing shops and felt like I needed a change. I was tired of doing the same thing and I was always getting hurt and injured. It just wasn't fun anymore, so I sold everything and I moved to New Zealand.
Eventually I moved back to Vancouver and I had to find a job. I didn't want to go back to snowboarding, so I started working in a brewery at the peak of the craft beer scene. I was there for like two months and then I got in a brutal car accident and had to quit my job.
I lived beside the Value Village on Hastings, so I would wander through and pick objects and things for the home. I always had an interest in design, furniture and art but I never lived anywhere. Or if I did, it was with 10 dudes that smell like wet snowboard gear. I finally had the time and space to purchase my own things and to make my home how I wanted it.
What was the motivation behind starting the shop?
I was buying way more than I was getting rid of. At the time, we lived in a 600 sq ft apartment and we had like 49 different chairs in our place. There were periods of time where we'd have couches stacked on top of each other in the living room, with chairs on top of that. My partner was just kind of like “either something has to go … or you do” (laughing).
She actually started the first Instagram account. I didn't even have a personal Instagram, and I don't have any desire to be on the internet. She was like, “Just see what happens… put some stuff up and try to sell things”. It was maybe 2014/2015 and vintage was nowhere near what it is now.
Yeah I feel like the boom really happened during COVID.
Oh yeah, COVID really blew everything wide open, which is great. There were definitely people buying and selling vintage before, but it was nothing like it is now.
When did you start doing physical retail?
I don't even know. COVID really screwed up years for sure, but I think it was like 2016/2017. I was at school for interior design at the time and I hated it, so I dropped out.
There was an empty basement space on Hastings and I moved in there. It was pretty chaotic and it didn’t really work out, but it was a good test to see if someone who's not selling teak in Vancouver could do it.
Yeah I feel like when I moved here in 2021, you were the only one that wasn’t just selling Danish modern.
Totally. We're not a big city, but there's only a few people that even sell furniture. Most people just sell just little knick knacks and objects instead. Objects are really easy to get into because you don’t need a car, and you can still find them everywhere. If I'm going to pick up a 20 piece DS-600 snake sofa, it’s impossible without a truck.
Whether it's intentional or not, you're influenced by where you live and what's around you. Being in Vancouver, it's very West coast modern. Danish really fits in and there’s a lot of it. I like those pieces, but there’s just so much more out there.
What made you carve your niche of Italian Postmodern?
I was going to a lot of auctions, pre-pandemic, when they were still in person. Not many people knew about them, and I would watch people pay insane prices over really mediocre teak pieces. Going from the 50s and then moving into Italian postmodernism in the late 60s or 70s, you had technological advances with plastics and other materials. It made furniture more sculptural, comfortable, and innovative.
I was finding all these really interesting pieces, but like a lot of collectors and dealers, I didn't know anything about the stuff I was buying - which was fun for me. It wasn't about how much money I could make from selling a piece, I was just intrigued. I wanted to hold it, observe it, photograph it, take it apart, and see how it works.
I’d try to figure out what the pieces were and then figure out who the designer was. You end up looking at more items a designer's made, the collaborations they've done, or companies they've worked for. It sent me down a rabbit hole. There's just so much out there, and every day I'm still finding pieces that I’ve never seen before.
Do you find it’s gotten harder to source as vintage has become more popular?
Totally. There was a period in Vancouver where [Percival] Lafer pieces were free. No one wanted them. Dealers would even leave them on the streets just for people to take. I was pretty early to the appreciation of Brazilian [modern].
I remember the first Brazilian piece I saw. I was like “This is the coolest thing ever. It looks comfortable. The materials look rad”. It's was so unique, so I bought a lot of it. And then, you know, things get trendy, prices go up, and that's fine. You just make it work.
My ethos has always been that there are certain items which are worth that kind of price. But, like anything, just because it’s Brazilian doesn't mean it should be worth a lot. I’ve had some Brazilian pieces where the build quality is just terrible. Some of them are really uncomfortable too. I'm still a huge fan of Brazilian modern, it's getting much harder to find.
Whats your favorite piece in the shop right now?
Honestly, I’ve actually sold most of my favorite pieces recently. I’d have to look ‘cause, I don't even know what's in here (looks over the shoulder towards a sofa in the back). Right now, it's probably this Tucroma set by Guido Faleschini. It’s leather with chrome legs and straps. You just don’t really see these types of pieces here in Canada.
Thanks for reading! Vistor Goods can be found on Instagram here and online at visitorgoods.com.
Make sure to follow us on Instagram if you haven’t already @desgined.to.last and @nicholasroethel.
-Nick